The present invention generally relates to assemblies providing a sound when exposed to light and their method of manufacture, specifically relates to assemblies intended to be placed in closed packages and containers and in a preferred form which provide a sound when the package or container is opened, and particularly in the most preferred form to assemblies which audibly announce the winning of a prize when the package or container is opened.
Due to the fierce competition in the marketing of consumer food items such as breakfast cereals, yogurt, and the like, it is the practice of many food manufacturers to include a premium with the food product to promote the sale of the product beyond the marketability of the product itself. It can certainly be appreciated that such promotional devices must meet several requirements. First, as such devices are typically given away with the product, such devices must be relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Additionally, such devices must have the ability to be easily included with the product without disruption of the normal handling of such product. Thus, it is desirable that the promotional device be includable with the product without requiring different containers, boxes, cartons, or the like, which would increase the cost of product production. Similarly, the promotional device should not require special handling or care by the manufacturer and retailer of the product beyond that normally given the product without the promotional device. But most important, the promotional device should have consumer appeal to maximize the promotional value of the device.
The prize announcement assembly as shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/861,042 filed May 21, 1997, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, represented a major advancement in the field of promotional devices. However, the prize announcement assembly disclosed therein has particular application for food products such as breakfast cereals or the like which are contained in bags located in packaging. Its application to other types of food products such as consumer food products having thixotropic properties such as yogurt is limited.
Thus, a need continues to exist for unique marketing techniques for increasing the appeal and desirability of products and which can be economically included with the product and which meet the requirements of promotional devices in the trade.